


A rose in the brush

by famderlinde



Series: Famderlinde [1]
Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Unplanned Pregnancy, also theyre at horseshoe overlook bc that was the best camp, au where everything doesnt go to shit, this gang is gonna be the best goddamn family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-22 15:09:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17062085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/famderlinde/pseuds/famderlinde
Summary: In a criminal's line of work, surprises are usually not a good thing. Nobody in the gang ever liked them much, preferring to be in control of their actions and have a properly planned out future. But there's always an exception to the rule, and the Van Der Linde Gang finally finds a welcome surprise.





	1. The first wave

"You alright there, Karen?" Arthur asked seemingly without need- judging by the way she was slouched over the empty barrel, the smell of vomit reeking from inside, it was quite obvious to see that she was definitely not "alright". 

"What do you care anyways, Arthur?" Her voice had bite to it- more than usual. 

"Well I was goin' to head out on a booze run, but when I went to look at the stash it was still relatively full- meanin' you hadn't been into it. Wanted to make sure you weren't dead or somethin'." It was supposed to be a playful jest but it just earned him an annoyed look. Now he was even more concerned- Karen was never one to take things too seriously. He always had fun teasing back and forth with the blonde; she always had a witty remark up her sleeve. But now she was rendered near speechless, too ill to give any sort of verbal response. She turned away from him and attempted to make her way back to her tent but stumbled over her own feet. Arthur was quick to catch her and assist her on her way, neither one of them speaking a word. When they got there he helped her down carefully into her bedroll.

"Y'know Karen, if you're not feelin' too hot you can take my cot." She snorted in response.

"I just have a....a spot of flu or something. Maybe some bad fish. You don't need to coddle me, Arthur. I'm f-" She didn't get to finish that thought, as she was interrupted by an abrupt and violent burst of vomit. Luckily she managed to scoot a ways away from where she was, thankfully leaving both Arthur and her bedroll clean. She turned back around to see Arthur with a grim look on his face.

"Karen, you're not well. You've been pukin' all over the damn place, and I've barely seen you up and about recently."

"What, you stalking me now Arthur?" 

"Stop actin' defensive, woman. Maybe you should go down to the doctor in Valentine before it gets too bad." While his tone was stern the look on his face was soft, concerned. Karen was simultaneously touched by this softer side of him and annoyed at his persistence. 

"I don't wanna visit no doctor, it'd be a waste of time. I doubt there's anything that wrong with me anyways! Nothin' some rest won't solve, anyways. Now go on, I'm sure Dutch has something more important for you to do than to pester me." She tried to wave him away but he didn't budge. He sat there in thought for a moment before his expression changed, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head.

"Karen..." His spoke as though he was trying to calm a spooked horse. "Now, don't smack me sideways for askin' this... but....." He seemed apprehensive to continue, a panicked look washing over him that Karen hadn't ever seen before.

"Oh just spit it out, Arthur!"

He took a deep breath before placing a hand on her arm, his voice lowering to barely above a whisper. "Do you think...there's a chance that you're with child, Miss Jones?" Her eyes widened in shock at the question and with what little strength she had, she started smacking Arthur upside the head.  

"Are-are you callin' me fat, Mr.Morgan?!" Her voice was shrill and quite loud, and he was sure other people would hear if she kept at it. So he quickly grabbed constricted her with one arm while using the other to cover her mouth, as not to call attention to both of them. Her reaction may have given off the impression that she was caught off guard by the idea of being pregnant, but in reality it was one of the first thoughts that came to her mind once she started throwing up. But she didn't want to accept that it was true, just that it was all in her own head- but Arthur asking her meant it could be real. And she didn't know if she was prepared for that. 

"I  _said_ don't smack me Miss Jones." Arthur whispered harshly, bringing her back to reality. "Now, you need to calm down before you cause a scene. Can you do that?" Karen nodded curtly, knowing that even on her best days she wasn't strong enough to take Arthur in hand-to-hand combat. He slowly released her, hesitating in wait for any more signs of defiance. When they didn't come he moved back away from her slowly, stopping to look her in the eye.

"Karen, you're gonna go talk to Abigail." She started to protest but didn't get the chance. "And that isn't a question, Miss Jones. Either you go talk to Abigail or I'm gonna have to report my suspicions to Miss Grimshaw on your behalf." He didn't wait for a response before turning around and walking away, leaving her sitting on her own to think. Although luckily not for long, as she was soon overcome with a wave of nausea once again. 


	2. From mother to mother

Heeding Arthur's warnings about going to Miss Grimshaw, Karen quickly went to see if Abigail was somewhere in camp. She headed first for the tent that she shared with John and Jack, but unfortunately it was empty. From closer to the cliff side she heard the sound of a child's laughter, meaning Jack was nearby. And wherever Jack was, Abigail was never far. She walked back behind the tent and saw the two of them, playing and laughing together. She stopped and watched them for a moment, taking in the sight. Abigail, even with all the grief she got from John about the boy, always seemed so happy when he was around. They were close, real close, and she always said he completed her.

While Karen always thought the boy was cute, she couldn't imagine being tied down like that. She was a self-sufficient woman, and while she did care for others and the gang she always enjoyed having the freedom to do what she wanted without thinking too much of the consequences. But when a baby comes along, everything becomes about them. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that. Despite this she knew that if she  _was_ pregnant that it was going to happen no matter what, so she gathered up the nerve to go and approach Abigail. 

"Hey Abigail, could I borrow you for a moment? I... need to talk to you about somethin'." 

"Sure, Karen, Is everything alright with you?" Abigail was immediately concerned when Karen came to her. It's not as though the two didn't get along-they got on just fine- but they just didn't talk  _much._ If Karen had a real problem she needed to talk to somebody about she usually went to Mary Beth or Tilly. So for Karen to come to her instead? Something must be up.

"Yeah, everything's...fine, I guess. Can we just talk please?" Her voice became impatient as she started feeling unwell once again, just wanting to sit back down as soon as possible. Abigail got the hint and quickly linked arms with her, bringing her back to her tent. Not sure about what Karen wanted to talk about she sent Jack away just in case; to Arthur as per Karen's recommendation.

"So, Kar... What do you need?" 

"I think I might be pregnant." She blurted out, not wanting to beat around the bush. Abigail's eyes widened in shock as her eyes flicked downwards towards Karen's abdomen.

"Pregnant? Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I've been vomiting all over the goddamn place. Nauseated to hell and back. Thought it was just a stomach bug or somethin', but it's been weeks and it hasn't gone away. Plus nobody else around camp's been sick either." 

Abigail chuckled softly. "Sounds like what I went through with Jack. I couldn't hold anything down." 

"Yes exactly! I haven't even been able to enjoy a drink or two... in fact, my lack a' drinkin' is what made Arthur notice that something was wrong with me."

Abigail cocked a brow in confusion. " _Arthur_ noticed you really weren't well? That man is full of surprises, ain't he?" She smiled fondly while talking about him-maybe a little  _too_ fondly in Karen's opinion, but she decided not to bring it up. She couldn't blame her- in comparison to John these days, Arthur was like prince charming. 

"What else did you go through when you were pregnant? Any other telltale signs I should be lookin' out for?"

Abigail paused for a moment. "Well, my feet were swellin' huge. Were bigger than John's I swear! Couldn't fit in my shoes no more. And as awkward as it sounds my breasts were really tender. A strong gust of wind had me wincin'!" Curiously Karen raised her hands to her chest and felt lightly. Nothing. So she felt with a little more pressure-nothing too strong- and then felt a small jolt of pain. Abigail laughed at the look on her face. For the next few minutes they talked about the other changes Abigail went through at the beginning of her pregnancy, with Karen mentally checking off the ones she was going through in her head.

At the end, Karen seemed to be convinced. Her face drooped and she cupped her head in her hands. 

"I'm pregnant. I can't believe it..." Abigail gently rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. She could tell that the girl didn't want this- it reminded her a lot of herself.

"It'll be ok, Karen. I was scared shitless to but Jack is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I wouldn't change a thing!"

"Not even-" And for the second time today Karen's was abruptly cut off by the ever-persistent need to throw up. She quickly stumbled outside the tent, heaved into a bush and then stumbled back in. 

"God." She slurred out. "With all the hell this baby's been givin' me, they're gonna be as much of a stubborn bastard as their-" Her eyes widened in sudden realization that she hasn't yet given a single thought to one of the most important pieces in this whole puzzle. 

"Oh my god, Abigail, Sean! I totally forgot about Sean!" She felt her heart hammering in her chest as she began to panic.

"What do you mean you _forgot_?! I thought you woulda already told him!"

"No, no! I went straight from talkin' with Arthur to you! Oh my god- how am I gonna tell him? I can't- I can't tell him!" 

"Well, at least it's good you're certain who the baby's father is!" Abigail said jokingly, trying to poke fun at herself and her own situation in an attempt to lighten the mood. When she saw it didn't do much, she took a more serious approach. "Look, Karen. You've gotta tell him. It's terrifying, I know. I remember how scared I was to tell John- hell I was more scared to tell him I was pregnant than of actually  _being_ pregnant. Of course, you can see that John didn't take it well. He STILL isn't taking it well. But that's really the worst that'll happen. While it would surely be nice to have Sean always there for you and enthusiastic beyond belief, you don't need him. You don't need him and your baby doesn't need him! You'll realize you're a lot stronger than you think you are. And if Sean doesn't want to be a part of your lives, it's his loss. Just go into tellin' him knowing you're gonna be ok, no matter what. You have me if you need me. You have Mary Beth and Tilly. Hell you even have Arthur, Hosea, Dutch... we care about you, Karen!" She placed her hand onto the blonde's stomach and smiled fondly. "We care about  _both_ of you." 

Karen was left speechless and with tears welling in her eyes. She quickly leaned forwards to hug Abigail and they embraced for a moment before it was interrupted by the sound of approaching horses and loud voices- one of those being the distinct accent of an Irishman. 

Karen quickly wiped her tears and got to her feet. "I guess now's as good a time as any. Thank you, Abigail. For everything." She gave her a nod before leaving the tent to find he future father of her child. 


	3. From a man to a Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting from here on the story is going to involve Sean a lot more as well!

As Karen walked closer to the edge of camp, she was able to pick out Sean from the others. It wasn't hard, with how damn loud he was. When he spotted her his eyes lit up and he quickly sauntered over to greet her.

"Well aren't ya a sight for sore eyes my love!" He walked with his arms extended and a cheeky smile on his face. He pulled her in to a tight embrace which she barely reciprocated. He pulled away with an annoyed expression. "Aw c'mon now, gimme a real hug my dear! Your handsome and dashing man has just returned from a long day of shootin' and lootin', barely makin' it out alive!" 

"'Barely making it out alive'?" Charles mocked. "We just did a supply run." 

"Well tha lady din't need to know that!" Sean huffed, crossing his arms like a child. Charles rolled his eyes as he walked away with the rest of the group back into camp, leaving Karen and Sean alone.

"Sean, can we talk about something?" She asked, her voice much softer than usual. He immediately picked up on things that weren't quite right- how she didn't take the chance to mock him when Charles called him out. How she was pale and frail seeming, barely able to stand up on her own. And most of all came the reek of vomit off of her- and since Sean knew she could hold her liquor pretty well, he knew it wasn't because she got hammered. 

"Are you sure? Maybe you should go talk to Miss Grimshaw or somethin', you look like absolute hell." Sean was never one for sugarcoating anything, and his blunt comment about her appearance made her brow furrow in annoyance. 

"Yes I am sure. Let's go, I wanna get away from camp a while." She started making her way towards the houses when he grabbed her by the wrist.

"Oh no no no. You're not going anywhere lookin' like that. Whatever you need to say you can say in front of the old crone. Let's go." He started trying to drag her back in towards camp, and she used all the strength she had left to resist him.

"Sean,  _please._ This is important. I need to talk to you... alone." Her tone was dire and it sent a chill down Sean's spine. He knew Karen was NOT a woman to be messed with- in fact, that was one of the things he liked about her. But he had never seen her so serious before. All he could do was nod as he helped her up onto the back of his horse and rode out of camp.

"So-uh, where did you want to go then?"

"Anywhere, just away from the others... maybe Valentine? We could book a room or somethin'." Most days Sean would be excited about her suggesting they go and book a hotel room together, but with the state she was in he figured he wasn't getting any. 

"Ok, whatever you say my love." They rode the rest of the way in silence, her arms wrapped around his torso as the pit of dread grew in her stomach. She was terrified of the conversation to come. She remembered what Abigail said, and took it to heart....but she still didn't want to lose him. Sure, Sean was far from perfect. He was loud, pompous, arrogant and stubborn. But... so was she. She had had her fair share of men and relationships but she never felt quite as at ease with anybody as she did with Sean. She never felt like she had to hold back who she was- so many men were afraid of a strong and assertive woman. But not him- he reveled in it. And so she held onto him and enjoyed his company, just in case it was the last time they would ever be like this.

Before long they were pulling into the small town and making their way to the hotel. Sean graciously paid for the room and let Karen go up first, plopping down on the bed as soon as she got in. Feeling unnerved at the whole situation he took a cautious seat next to her before slowly wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her lightly on the temple. 

"Ok, we're alone. Now what is it you're so hellbent on tellin' me? I'm startin' to get worried."

"Sean, do you ever consider a future for us?" That question quite clearly caught him off guard as his eyes widened and palms began to sweat.

"Well, I mean...I mean" He started stuttering through his words, trying desperately to get out a coherent sentence. "Not really?"

"Are you asking me or telling me, Sean?"

"Not really." His voice was more definitive this time.

"Why not?" She calmly asked him, her even tone not giving any clues as to how she's feeling about his answer.

"Well- I don't really consider the future much at all. I tend to just take it day by day, makes it easier. This whole lifestyle. Don't take it personal, don't mean I like ya any less. Is that what you were so worked up about? Spend too much time watchin' 'Trouble in Paradise' with the Marstons or somethin'? Those two are basket cases, the both of em!" And on and on Sean went, on his own little tangent. Karen knew she had to drag him back down to Earth before he went on for hours, and she knew the best way how.

"Sean I think I'm pregnant." She loudly stated. And for once, the Irishman was speechless. Taking advantage of this rare moment of silence on his behalf, she went about getting in her two cents before he could say anything. "And I want you to know I don't care what you think about it. I'm going to be a mother, and you're going to be a father. But I don't want you in my life- our lives, if you're gonna be a deadbeat like John. So just know I'm tellin' you to be kind now but I'm not goin' to be kind to you no more if you're gonna be a fool!" And without even waiting for a response she was up and stomping out of the room. Sean managed to snap out of his dazed state long enough to rush in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Let me pass, Macguire!" Her voice was stern and she tried to push by but he didn't budge.

"Karen, Karen please! You're not even lettin' me speak here!" His voice was loud- louder than usual and...angry. This made Karen nervous- she knew he'd never hurt her, but was afraid of him getting mad at her and starting a yelling match. But she did suppose she  _did_ storm out before he could get a word in, so she paused and waited for him to speak.

"Thank you." His voice was almost immediately calmer, quieter. He guided her back into the room and shut the door behind him. Karen returned to her spot on the bed, arms folded impatiently waiting for him. She closed her eyes and waited to hear the lines she was expecting; excuses for why one of them will have to leave, denouncing his paternity. remarking how he has his whole life ahead of him, not wanting to be "tied down". She was mentally preparing herself for it all.

But it never came.

What did come was a soft hug as he buried his arm in the crook of her neck and gave her light kisses, trailing from her neck up to her forehead. He knelt down on the floor in front of her, looking her in the eyes. He took her hand in his and absentmindedly traced circles with his thumb on her skin.

"I'll admit my love, you've caught me off guard. Not just with the whole pregnancy thing but with that whole little speech you gave. Now well I'm glad Abigail is helpin' you out here, I don't want you to think that you're gonna have to go through what she does."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean... I'm gonna be around. I  _want_ to be around. I never thought I'd really ever be a father, in all honesty. You all love to say I'm barely more than a child myself. But a Macguire man never half asses a job. So if I'm gonna be a father, I'm going to be the best damn father there is! Dutch will be quaking in his damn boots at my fatherin' abilities! He thinks he's good with Arthur and the rest of em' but I'm gonna blow 'im outta the water! Our kid's gonna be the fuckin' president, you watch!" Karen couldn't help but smile as he went on and on, boasting about how great of a father he's going to be. And while she didn't think their child would grow up to lead the country, or that Dutch would be at  _all_ threatened, she did believe him when he said he was going to try his best. 

And that was all she could ever want. 


	4. Fatherly advice

After their talk in the hotel, Sean decided it would be in Karen's best interest to visit the doctor in Valentine as well. After asking her a few questions and taking not of her incessant vomiting, the doctor decided to keep her there for a week while they put a new medication to work in an attempt to reduce her symptoms. Sean stayed in the town wit her for as long as he could, but knew the gang would be worried if they were both gone for too long. So reluctantly, after three days, he packed up his things and headed back to Horseshoe Overlook, promising Karen he'd come back in four days when she was to be released. 

While on his own for the first time since the big news, Sean finally had time to think. When Karen was around he put on this air of confidence about the whole thing- that he hadn't a single worry when it came to becoming a father. He didn't want to make this experience any worse for her than it already was, so he pretended to have no problems. But he was lying. 

He was scared shitless.

So upon returning to camp he quickly sought out the one person who'd really know what he's going through- John. And while he couldn't say he was much a fan of John as a father, as far as he knew he was the only man in camp who was one. And he reasoned that even a shit parent like him would probably have  _something_ helpful to say.  Eventually he found his target, brooding in the corner.

"Ay, scar face! Do you have a minute?"

"Sean where the hell you been? We saw you and Karen riding off a couple days back and were grateful you wouldn't be keepin' us all up at night anymore. Did it really take you that long to finish, Macguire?" John snickered to himself.

"Nows not the time, Marston! I have somethin' real important to talk to ya about!"

"Can't you go bug Arthur or something instead?"

"No!" He shook his head vehemently. "I need  _your_ advice." Upon hearing the word "advice" John was intrigued, especially because he insisted that he talk to him and not Arthur. The fact that there was a problem that it seemed like only he could solve and not the older man fed his ego, so he bit.

"Alright then, shoot. What do you need, kid?" 

"Well, I guess I'll just come out and say it then- Karen and I, well, we're expectin'.

"Expecting what?" 

Sean rolled his eyes. "She's pregnant ya daft fool."

"I know what you meant kid, I'm just messin' with you. Well uh, congrats I guess. What do you need me for?" John shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing exactly why Sean came to talk to him but not really wanting to engage in that conversation.

"John you're not as dumb as ya look. You're the only guy here with a kid and I wanted to-"

"I've said it a thousand times." John quickly cut Sean off. "The kid  _ain't_ mine." 

"Yeah yeah whatever you say. By blood or not that kid is yours and you know it. Now, do you have any pointers? Tips and tricks to not be... uh, nevermind." His voice wavered a bit as he decided what he was saying  _may_ not be the best idea. 

"To not be  _what?_ " John's voice was curt; his gaze pointed. "Not be  **what** ,Macguire?" He lunged forward and gripped Sean by the collar, tugging his face close to his own. "Spit it out, kid."

"To not be a deadbeat, ok! I don't want to be a deadbeat dad." John roughly released him, almost knocking him onto the ground in the progress.

"Well, then you're asking the wrong person." He spat on the ground near Sean's feet before pushing past him and walking away. Unfortunately he could hear the sound of footsteps right on his heels, no matter how fast he walked. He abruptly spun around and came face to face with Sean as the Irishman almost crashed into him. 

"Why the hell are you following me?"

"Because I'm not done with ya John! Please, please! I'm beggin ya! Just... give me some advice.  _Any_ advice. You're the only man I know to ask." Sean did his best to put on the puppy dog eyes that always worked to get him out of trouble with the women. He hoped that it's effects were transferable to at least  _one_ man.

And luckily for him, they were.

John let out an elongated sigh before mumbling something resembling an "okay", which was enough for Sean as he happily followed him to the cliff side where they could talk in private. They sat down next to each other, legs hanging over the large drop to the forest below. 

"So...uh, what do you want me to say here?"

Sean shrugged at him. "Whatever comes to mind. What it was like seein' the kid for the first time, how you handle having the little one with living a life so dangerous. Just...anything, I'm kind of hopeless here."

John chuckled. "Can't say I'm any less hopeless than you are when it comes to this, but I'll try. Uh, let me see... well, when I saw Jack for the first time I can't say it was a great experience. I kept starin' the kid down, trying to see who he looked like."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I kept holding him up and comparing him to Dutch, Hosea, Javier, Arthur, Bill, and myself I guess."

Sean gave him a sly smile. "And did ya come to a conclusion?"

"Yeah...he looked like Arthur." Sean laughed and John smirked at him. 

"I can't say I see the resemblance myself. He looks more like..."

"Dutch? Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Either that or Javier, but it might just be the facial hair..." John darted his eyes back to camp, where the aforementioned men were sitting around the fire, Javier strumming away on his guitar while Dutch danced nearby with Molly. 

"Actually, I was going to say he looked more like you." Sean gave John a small smile and a light pat on the back.

"Uh....thanks." Despite John's constant denial of Jack's parentage, John seemed genuinely happy to hear that the boy looked like him. 

And so for close to an hour they talked back and forth, Sean asking questions and John recounting how time and time again much of an asshole's he was in regards to Jack and Abigail. 

"Thanks... thanks for everything, John. I feel better, somehow! Despite all your half-assed advice, that is."

"Well, you're welcome. Glad I could be of help." The two started to get up and make their way back to camp, Sean seeming more confident and John...thoughtful.

"Oh, I know I can do this whole parenting thing now. It's gonna be great to have a son! I can take him fishing, teach him how to shoot, how to-"

"Now hold up!" John interrupted. "Who is to say you'll be having a  _son?"_ Sean looked confused, clearly not getting what John was saying. "What if you have a daughter, genius?" 

Sean's eyes widened in shock- it was as if the pregnancy was being announced to him all over again. He had been so focused on the image of having what John has in regards to Jack that the thought of having a girl didn't even cross his mind. Any confidence he felt he had started to slip away as panic took its place.

"Oh god! A-a daughter? I could have a daughter! Dear lord- I don't know what to do with a girl!"

John laughed at him. "Yeah, I've walked by your tent when Karen was in there with you. You really  _don't_ know what to do with a girl, huh?" 

"Marston! You bastard! Leave me love life out of this! It's none of your business!" Now John was laughing harder.

"Leave it out? We just talked for an hour about the products of your 'love life'." He repeated Sean's words in a mocking tone, causing the Irishman to become even more annoyed. "It's absolutely my business now!" John continued to laugh as he walked away from the fuming man, succeeding in distracting him from the panic that the concept of a daughter brought upon him. 

He just had to hope that the thought wouldn't occur again to the kid for another nine months. And even if it did, he had no problem riling him up once more.

 


	5. A special announcement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: This is going to assume that Sadie has been part of the gang for a while longer than she was at this point in the game. I know Sadie didn't really get close to the gang until Clemens Point, but for story reasons she's basically part of the family now.

Deciding to strike the iron while it's hot, the parents-to-be planned to tell the gang about their news right away. Although ideally they would have preferred to wait for a while, they knew that if they hesitated that word would get out- either through one of the people who already knew letting it slip (most likely John) or through the inevitable gossip that comes from having a camp full of loud mouths. But instead of telling everybody at once (they don't think they could handle the chaos), they decided to do it in groups. Starting with their closest friends- for Sean, that was Lenny. And Karen, Mary Beth and Tilly. 

"So, are you guys finally gonna tell us where you two up and disappeared to for days on end?" Lenny asked as he took a seat on Tilly's left side, with Mary beth at her right. 

"Yeah!" Tilly reaffirmed. "We've been worried about you guys. You're not in any kind of trouble, are you?" 

"No more than usual." Sean replied with a cheeky wink. 

"No, actually we have some news for you!" Karen clapped her hands together excitedly before entwining them with Sean's. The pair stood in front of their three friends, absolutely ready to tell them all their big secret. 

"So, spill it already!" Lenny said, egging them on.

"Let's just say... we may be getting ourselves a new member of the gang!" Karen left it vague to try and see how long it took them to put the pieces together. 

That was her first mistake. 

"A new gang member? Hope it ain't another damn O'Driscoll..." Lenny said, earning him a smack upside the back of the head from Mary Beth.

"Lenny! Kieran ain't that bad. And he ain't an O'Driscoll no more... he's one of us."

"Oh please." He spat, rolling his eyes. "Just because the two of you sit and make goo goo eyes at each other all the damn time doesn't mean he's one of us!" 

Mary Beth's face erupted into an intense blush, spreading from her cheeks up to her ears. "I- he- we don't-" She started stuttering her words, very obviously flustered, as she tried to refute his accusation. The two of them bickered back and forth for some time, with Tilly acting as both a literal and metaphorical mediator. They were so engrossed in their little spat that they hadn't noticed how frustrated Sean and Karen had become, their big announcement being derailed by talk of Mary's potential love life. They attempted a few times to win back their attention, but they just weren't cooperating. So, they tried another route of action. Exchanging quick glances, they both started to walk away- but before they could get too far, Karen had one more thing to say.

"Alright, fine. If you guys wanna ignore us then go ahead. We'll just go tell somebody else we're havin' a baby..." As soon as the word "baby" left her lips, all three of their friend's heads whipped forward, the words on their lips forgotten. 

"A...baby?" Tilly said, barely more than a whisper. "You're...you're joking!" The two shook their heads, affirming that they were, in fact, serious. 

"Like we said," Sean started. "You'll be gettin' a new gang member. You're just gonna have to wait about nine months for 'em!" The three friends erupted into a chorus of excited squeals and congratulations. Hugs were exchanged all around, and everybody took turns feeling Karen's barely-there baby bump. Sean slung an arm around her proudly, planting a kiss on her cheek. 

Eventually the parents-to-be moved on to the next group of people they planned to tell- and luckily they were all together. They made their way to Charles, Javier, Arthur and Sadie, who were gathered around the fire. Sadie was the first to greet them as they got closer.

"Well there are the two lovebirds! Come take a seat you guys." She beckoned them over and they sat next to her on one of the logs. 

"I feel like I haven't seen you two in a while. How have things been?" Charles asked.

"I think I may have some idea." Arthur chuckled, giving the pair a knowing look. "You two got some news for us, I reckon?" 

Karen giggled. "We might..." Arthur flashed the pair a wide smile, not being able to hold back his excitement. 

"What the hell are you smiling about, Morgan? You know something we don't?" Javier asked, taking a break from pecking at his guitar. 

"Somethin' like that. I'll let them tell ya." He gestured back over to Karen and Sean, and the gaze of the group followed. 

They made their announcement blunt and to the point, wanting to avoid the whole fiasco they had with the others. Arthur continued smiling, a sense of pride washing over him for knowing before anybody else. The others followed suit, all grinning from ear to ear at the news. Sadie was the first to congratulate them and give them both big hugs. Charles patted them both on the back, telling them about how they're going to be great parents. Javier had the most exuberant reaction, joking about how Sean's "little Sean" was finally good for something. Sean would have been more upset at Javier if he didn't also follow up by saying he was going to work on a song to sing to the new addition. 

Riding off the high of two successful announcements, they went off to tell the third and most difficult group of all- that consisting of Miss Grimshaw, Pearson, Micah, Molly, and most terrifyingly of all...Dutch. It wasn't that Dutch didn't like kids, they were just unsure of how he'd react to a new addition in these...tense times. They made their way over to the remaining members of camp, mentally preparing themselves for a less than pleasant reception. As usual, Dutch was the first to pipe up as they got near.

"Sean, Karen! Good to see you both in camp for once. Was worried you guys had deserted us for a while! Was hopin' we wouldn't have to track you down, make an example of you." His voice was lighthearted and all seemed to be in jest, but they could tell there was some truth to his words- he didn't much care for people leaving and not telling him. This already made them uneasy- until they heard a more genuine voice chastising him.

"Give the kids a break, Dutch! You know what it's like to be young and in love." Hosea! The two smiled at the sight of the older man- They thought Hosea was supposed to be out- down in Saint Denis for a while looking for work away from camp along with Strauss, Bill and the Reverend. They didn't know he had returned already, especially since the other three men were still gone. The addition of Hosea immediately calmed their nerves- they knew he'd be absolutely OVERJOYED at the news, and maybe that positive energy would rub off onto anybody who wasn't as thrilled. 

"Yeah, Dutch." Micah added. "They were probably off humping in some field like rabbits for the week. Although... based on what I've heard coming from their tent, I doubt he could stretch it out for that long." He laughed at his own joke, causing Sean to frown. 

"How about you shut the hell up, you rat?" Sean huffed at him. 

"Aw," Micah teased. "Mad cause I say it like it is? Well, here's another piece of truth- I could probably satisfy Miss Jones over here way better than you ever could. Consider this an invitation to visit me anytime, Dollface." He gave Karen a suggestive wink, and she felt herself had holding back vomit- but this time it wasn't because of morning sickness. 

Sean was  _furious_ at this point. He was ready to march over and square up- teach Micah a lesson for messing with his girl. But Karen quickly gripped his hand in an attempt to hold him back- this announcement needed to go well, and they couldn't lose their tempers (plus there was time to kill Micah later). 

"Anyways," Karen started. "We had something we wanted to tell you guys. Somethin' real important." 

"You're pregnant." Miss Grimshaw stated, more a statement than a question. The eyes of everybody else in the group widened- including those of Sean and Karen. 

"Pregnant?" Dutch repeated, his gaze immediately shooting down to Karen's abdomen. "Is this true, Miss Jones? Mr.Macguire?" Molly sat at his side, resting against him, giving them a disapproving glare. 

"How-how did you know?!" Sean sputtered 

"So it's true." Dutch's voice was firm as he stood up, taking slow steps towards the couple with his arms crossed. When he was only a couple of inches away from them he stopped, and was about to say something but never got the chance. Hosea quickly came in between them, interrupting Dutch's rampage. 

"Why- that's fantastic news you two!" He had a warm smile and he extended his arms widely to pull them both into a hug. Pearson got up and joined in the congratulations, commenting on how he was excited to be cooking for one more. Micah stayed seated, his face unreadable. 

Hosea glanced back briefly and saw Dutch still standing there fuming, and to avoid ruining the moment he decided to usher the children away. 

"Come, come! Have you told young Jack yet?" They shook their heads no. "Well I want to see his reaction when you tell him! He always talks about wanting another kid to play with around here." And with that he basically dragged them away to the Marston's tent. Once they were out of earshot, Micah began to speak.

"So, what d'you make of that, Dutch?" He asked, already knowing the answer but trying to egg Dutch on. 

"Pregnant? God, as if we need a new kid around here at a time like this. How could they let this happen?"

"Well, I think we all know  _how_ it happened, Dutch my dear." Molly said, her voice flirty and suggestive. "If you need, I could-"

"I'm not an idiot, Miss O'shea, I know  _how_ it happened." He spat at her, stopping her in her tracks. She stomped at him like a frustrated child before marching back to the tent they shared. 

"I think they're bein' selfish. If I were you I'd either kick 'em out or make 'em take care of it, if you get my drift." Miss Grimshaw's eyes narrowed in anger at Micah's suggestion and she was quick to slap him across the face.

"Mr.Bell! I should shoot you where you stand for even suggesting such a horrid thing. The new arrival may be untimely, yes, but they are still members of our family! We will  _not_ kick them out and DEFINITELY not even suggest harming that baby in any way shape or form. Do you understand me?" 

He snorted, unphased. "I do believe that's up to Dutch to decide- not you, lady." He turned back to look at Dutch who, unlike Micah, was absolutely not unphased by Miss Grimshaw. In what seemed like an instant his demeanor changed, his anger quickly fading.

"Miss Grimshaw is right. They...they are family. And as a family, we will make it through this." Dutch's eyes quickly shifted over back to Miss Grimshaw, who nodded in approval. Dutch knew he was the leader around here... but that didn't mean he wanted to mess with Miss Grimshaw.  _Nobody_ wanted to mess with Miss Grimshaw. 

And with that, almost everybody now knew. True to his word, Hosea took them to tell Jack who was probably the most excited out of everybody at the prospect of another kid in camp. Eventually Bill, Strauss and the Reverend found out upon their return. Bill was seemingly indifferent, just muttering to keep the baby quiet at night or he'll "throw it off the cliff". Strauss didn't seem to care much either, he simply gave his congratulations before going back to his work. The Reverend was the only one of them who had any sort of emotion in their reaction, going on about how he hoped the innocence of a sweet little baby would help to "purify his soul". 


	6. The months between

The next few months seemed to just fly by. As Karen's stomach grew and grew so did Sean's nerves. It was one thing to think of having a child abstractly; as a concept. It was another to see the physical proof of one to come seemingly about to burst from your girlfriend's abdomen. They had so many things they needed to prepare; clothes, bottles, diapers, a crib, toys... Luckily Abigail was there to guide them throughout, passing onto them some of Jack's old hand-me-downs that she never had the heart to sell or throw out, and was happy to see have new life in little baby Macguire. 

Dutch, over time, warmed to the idea of a new life in the camp. Mainly because he saw how this bout of positive news boosted gang morale- it seemed like  _everybody_ was giddy with anticipation of the new arrival. It was hard to be a downer about the whole situation when one of your right hand men talked non-stop about what a blessing children are and the other spent days on end with Charles trying to figure out how to build a damn crib. And he supposed at the end of the day, despite his own concerns and frustrations, the gang was what was most important. With time he even found himself looking forward to having a little one around- he had to admit he was quite fond of children himself, and maybe if he hadn't adopted a gaggle of outlaws he would have liked to have a few himself.

Jack would come by Karen's tent on a daily basis and ask if the baby was there yet. No matter how many times they told him it would take many months until they arrived, his patience simply wore thin. He had always complained about the lack of people his age around camp, and how they never stayed anywhere long enough for him to make friends. Hell, even if they did stay in once place it's not like they ever let him more than 5 feet away from camp. So the prospect of somebody to play with who was ALSO stuck in camp sounded like a dream come true...although nobody had the heart to tell him that even when the baby does come, they won't be able to really play with him for a long while. A problem for another day, they all reasoned. 

Before long people started placing bets on whether the child to come would be a boy or a girl. The betting pool grew quite large- up to around $500! Most people sat on team boy, with the only ones on team girl being Mary Beth, Abigail, Tilly, Uncle, Kieran and Arthur. Karen abstained from the betting-saying she didn't have a preference- and Sean claimed the same (although a quick look into the books showed he placed his bets on blue too). 

With the subject of the baby's sex came up with the conversation of what they were going to name the baby. This conversation didn't really become prominent until about 6 months in, when Javier was talking about how his gift to the baby would be a knife with their name engraved on the handle. Of course, aside from Karen's obvious problems with the gift, it planted the seed of worry about choosing a name. What  _were_ they going to name the baby? They had a hard time asking around the camp for ideas- most of the men just suggested to name the baby after them. And as much as they both loved their makeshift family, they didn't feel like raising a Dutch/John/Lenny/Javier/Hosea junior. Even Sean tried to throw in the prospect of "Sean junior, Seanette for a girl." Needless to say, Karen did not approve- she didn't want to name her child after anybody, wanting them to be their own unique person. But one day, for shits and giggles, Tilly asked them if they  _had_ to name them after somebody- who would it be? After a moment of thought they both came to the same conclusion:

"Arthur".

Which made the normally stoic outlaw's cheeks turn pink as he tried to say what a terrible idea that'd be, going on with his spiel that he's "not a good man". They both said they didn't believe that for a second, no matter how much he kept saying it. They told him they had  _so_ much faith in him, in fact, that they wanted him to be their baby's godfather. With that he was absolutely speechless, aside from asking  _why_  over and over.They said they didn't trust anybody more to watch and care for their future child if something were to happen to the two of them. Their other choice would have been Lenny, but thought he might be too young to impose such a thing upon him (plus, despite how much they loved him...they'd much prefer Arthur looking out for their child if they passed). And so the baby's godparents were deemed to be Arthur as well as Mary Beth. Both of them were honoured to be chosen, and vowed to give their hearts and souls to this child. 

Another big milestone throughout the pregnancy happened to be Karen's birthday, which they turned into a day for everybody in the gang to give the gifts they had prepared for the child. Many people like Strauss, Hosea, Tilly, Mary Beth, Abigail and Pearson gave clothes. Javier stayed true to his word and gave the aforementioned knife, with inscription to come. Arthur and Charles finally finished building that crib, and Arthur even took the time to paint it; choosing to do scenes of nature featuring birds, deer and trees amongst other things. Dutch and Molly decided to give an expensive looking silver necklace, a locket, with small pictures of both Karen and Sean inside. Charles also decided to give jewelry, an amulet that tied back to his Native roots and was said to be a good luck charm. Jack even decided to pitch in and make the baby a flower crown that they didn't have the heart to tell him would die before the baby arrived. The final gift came from Hosea in the form of a new handheld camera, for taking family photos. The parents were touched at all the thought that went into the gifts, and how much love they could already feel for their unborn child. 

And so the days passed on and on, almost bleeding into one another after a while. Especially since neither Sean nor Karen left camp much. For Karen, pregnancy wreaked havoc on her body and she couldn't stand to go too far. And while Sean was fine and well, he couldn't bear to be away from her and was excused by Hosea from joining them on robberies and heists so he could stay by her side. He appreciated how the boy, while knowing running jobs would put money in his family's pocket, also meant he put himself at risk. He had to make the decision that the child having him alive was more important than having lots of things. Sean had to admit though he missing all the action quite a bit- the shootouts, intense chases, how your adrenaline would be flowing through your veins making your heart almost burst out of your chest. Although no gunfight, no robbery or near death experience was more terrifying than hearing a blood curdling scream from Karen across camp, along with Abigail shouting out

"Oh my god! Her water broke! The baby's coming!"

 


	7. And the youngest Van Der Linde comes

"KAREN? KAREN MY LOVE, I'M COMING!" Sean immediately dropped whatever he was doing to race over to her tent. Inside she was lying on her cot, her face contorted in pain. Her breathing was shallow and she was gripping the blanket beneath her so tightly her knuckles were going stark white. He was soon joined in the tent by the few other people that happened to be in camp that day- Mary Beth, Uncle, Reverend Swanson and Kieran.

Unfortunately, baby Macguire decided to make their appearance on the day the majority of the gang was out working- including Abigail and Susan, the two who were supposed to help her through the birth. 

"Well damn. She's really about to burst now, ain't she?" Uncle stated, seemingly amused by the whole situation. Between him and his useless comments, Kieran and his fidgeting and Swanson's swaying back and forth, Sean was about ready to snap and she hadn't even began pushing. He thanked the Heavens that  _at least_ Mary Beth was there to keep him sane. She was sat down at Karen's side, allowing the blonde to squeeze her hand as her contractions came and went. The men stepped outside the tent to figure out what the hell they were going to do. 

"What the hell are we goin' to do here?! Oh my god oh my god oh my-" 

"Kieran if you don't shut the hell up I'm goin' to whack ya real good. We need to be calm here. C a l m." Sean repeated the last word, drawing it out for emphasis. The soon to be second newest member of the gang merely shook his head and shut his mouth, deciding that just being quiet and following orders would be the best course of action.

"So what's the plan here, pops?" Uncle asked, looking expectantly at the Irishman. The two other men did the same, looking to him for guidance as if he knew any better what to do. 

"I don't know, I don't know! I didn't think I'd have to be the one handlin' this, I thought I could just have Abigail take over while I sat and let Karen break all the bones in me hand." Sean paced back and forth as he wracked his brain for any semblance of a practical idea. The four men just stood in silence thinking until they were interrupted by another loud scream from Karen. 

"Oh god, oh god! My baby's about to come and I'm standin' around here like an idiot! What kind of father am I going to be if I can't even-" His panicked ramblings were cut short by a slap across the face, courtesy of miss Mary Beth.

"Sean Macguire! You stop all that talk right now! This isn't about you. Now, if you want to do something helpful I suggest you three" She gestured over to Kieran, Uncle and Swanson "search Abigail and Miss Grimshaw's tents. I think they mentioned something about writing out a birth plan. Go see if you can find it. Sean you stay here and comfort your girl- she needs you more than ever right now. I'm goin' to go gather up some supplies, like blankets and stuff." With a quick nod of affirmation between them all, they parted ways to accomplish their tasks. Sean tentatively opened the flaps to the tent and was met with yet another scream as she suffered through a contraction.

"Sean, is-is everythin' alright?" Karen asked him, her eyes filled with worry. He gave her a sympathetic smile and sat down next to her, kissing the side of her head.

"It's fine, my love. Everythin's going to be fine. The reverend, Kieran and Uncle are lookin' for a birthin' plan to try and help you through." 

Karen groaned and threw her head back on the pillow. "Figures the day the baby comes is when that ragtag group is the one mullin' around. At least Mary Beth's helpin', and you're here." She laced her hand with his and he lightly traced small circles on her skin with his thumb. "I'm scared, Sean. I'm real scared." Her voice now was shaky; he'd never quite heard it like this before. "What if something goes wrong? What if-"

"I'll be havin' none of that talk, m'lady. Everythin's going to turn out just fine. Soon it'll be you, me and little Sean Jr."

"Sean-"

"Or Seanette. Or little Seanette. How could I forget little Seanette Macguire? She'll be the most beautiful lass in all the land and with the name of a queen to match." Karen laughed at his dumb jokes and he felt a surge of pride run through him. Before long Mary Beth returned with a basket full of supplies, and lifted up Karen's blanket to check how things were progressing.

"So, how's it lookin'?" Sean asked her.

"I...well, frankly I'm not quite sure. I think I remember Miss Grimshaw mentioning something to me about what it was supposed to look like...but I tune out half the things she says." She chuckled nervously. "Guess this should have been one of those things I listened to. Sorry, Karen."

Karen smiled down at her best friend. "'s fine. I'm mostly impressed you can stand to listen to her as much as half of the time. I'd place my own bets at about a-" She sharply inhaled as another contraction ripped through her, and exhaled as it passed. "-a tenth." The strength in her voice was fading as her pain grew, and her normally rosy cheeks were now as pale as a cowboy's ass. It worried both of them to see her in this state, and just prayed that one of the guys would turn up with something soon.

And answered they were- fittingly, by the Reverend. He, followed by the other two, made their way back to the tent. He clutched a small notebook in his hand and thrust it quickly into Sean's.

"Here, here! I found this under Miss Abigail's bed. This should have everything you need in it." Despite the stench of alcohol coming off of his breath, he seemed to be more composed than usual. Kieran and Uncle gave their well wishes and left the tent, telling them to holler if they needed anything. But the Reverend lingered a moment longer, placing his hands on Karen's stomach. 

"Everything is going to be alright, Miss Jones. I can tell the Lord is looking down upon the both of you...and he will make sure that everything goes smoothly. I can't wait to meet the little one." He gave her a warm smile and she felt a tear running down her cheek, incredibly grateful for the bought of confidence. Now it was back to the three of them in the tent together, preparing to become four.

"Sean, pass me the book so I can read what I'm supposed to do." She reached her hand out to take it from him but he held it back.

"No, no it's fine! You just go down there and...and I'll read it to ya." Both girls gave him quizzical expressions- they both knew Sean was one of the few people in camp who  _couldn't read._ He noticed their expressions and rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like that. I wasn't going ta say anything yet...I wanted it to be a surprise. But I asked some of the guys to help teach me to read in secret. I wanted you to be impressed when I was able to ready the wee one a story." 

"Sean..." Karen started adjusting herself, sitting up a bit more so she could lean over and reach her arms around his neck. He met her half way and reciprocated her embrace. "That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard. You are goin' to be a great father..."

"And you're goin' to be an even better mother..." They started lovingly to each other's eyes for what felt like forever...especially to Mary Beth.

"I hate to interrupt the moment, but neither of you are going to be parents at all if we don't start pushin' already! C'mon Sean, read me out what Abigail wrote and let's get this show on the road!" 

And so he did, and the labour process really got into full swing. A few hours passed of pushing, pushing and more pushing. Sean and Mary Beth stayed consistently by Karen's side while Uncle, Kieran and the Reverend made intermittent visits inside the tent to see how things were progressing. They were all on edge waiting for the new arrival to come- and then, soon enough, they heard a loud cry of a baby coming from inside the tent (followed by the loud cry of the father). They all raced inside to come face to face with the small bundle that lay on Karen's chest. The group of them shared a moment all together of happy tears and smiling while marveling at the child. 

They all took turns holding the little one, much to Sean's chagrin- it was obvious he wanted the baby all to himself, reluctant to let them go to even Karen. He looked down upon them and felt a strong love and protective instinct like he had never felt before- in that moment he knew he would do anything to protect them. 

Deciding to give the new parents some time alone, the rest of them walked out of the tent looking absolutely exhausted but full of bliss. That was, until, they heard the sound of horses and angry yelling from the edge of camp.

"WHY THE HELL ISN'T THERE ANYBODY ON GUARD DUTY?" Dutch boomed from atop his horse, absolutely fuming. He was soon followed by most of the missing members of the gang, all returning from their days' work. They were all on edge; absolutely buzzing from whatever happened on their day out. Things seemed tense. 

"Answer me, goddamn it!" He started to raise his voice again and on instinct, all four of them shushed him. "The hell's wrong with you guys? Are you telling me to be quiet?"

"Yeah, what's the big idea?" John joined in, soon followed by Bill and Javier.

"You idiots need to be quiet!" Uncle spat out, earning him many angry glares. It looked as though the men were about to pounce before Mary Beth chimed in.

"Please, everybody... you'll wake the baby!" 

"The baby?" Arthur parroted back at her, his eyes widening. She nodded enthusiastically before gesturing back to the tent that Sean was emerging from. 

"Heh, glad you guys are finally back. Picked a good day to go out, the lot of yous. Haven't missed much..." Sean teased. "Oh well, except for maybe this." He readjusted the small bundle he was cradling in his arms, so that the group of outlaws was greeted with the face of baby Macguire. "I'd like to introduce yous all to somebody special..."

He took a few steps closer and they gathered around him, all eyes on the baby. Their cheeks were round and chubby, looking like a pile of squish. And with two big blue eyes and a head of bright orange hair, they were the spitting image of their father.

"I'd like you all to meet my daughter...Rose Macguire."


	8. Meeting the family

"My sincerest apologies for disturbing you, little lady." Dutch cooed at Rose as Sean placed her into his arms. The new father was nervous about handing the baby off, but the expert way in which Dutch handled her would have one thinking he had been doing it his whole life. He held her quite still, staring into her eyes. Molly seemed to be quite fond of the sight of Dutch with a baby, and quickly fought her way to the front of the small crowd that had formed around him to hang off of his arm.

But she didn't stay in Dutch's grasp for long, Hosea eagerly awaiting his turn. The older man looked so overjoyed while bouncing Rose that Sean thought about how much of it a shame it was that he never had any of his own. The man looked like he was born to be a father- well, more like a grandfather at this point. 

"Why Sean, she's absolutely your spitting image!" Hosea marveled. 

"Hey now, don't be mean to the poor girl." Arthur said with a chuckle. Sean smiled fondly at him, knowing there was no malice in those words. Arthur gave him a nod and he looked...proud. Proud of how genuinely happy Sean seemed. 

"Arthur's right. She's much prettier than I could ever be...looks like 'er mother, I reckon."

Hosea nodded. "I suppose I can see Karen in her features, but with that hair... it's hard to not see you, I suppose." Hosea sat there studying her features a while longer before reluctantly passing her onto the next person who wanted her, which happened to be Abigail. Like Dutch, she also handled the baby like a pro, but because of past experience instead of some odd innate ability. She knelt down until she was on Jack's level and showed him as well. 

" _That's it?"_ He asked, a disappointed look on his face. "I thought he'd be... bigger. Is something wrong with him?"

" _She_ , Jack." Abigail corrected. "And she's just a baby, she's supposed to be this small."

"Will he- _she_ ever get bigger?" He poked and prodded her lightly, not enough to hurt but enough to make her visibly uncomfortable with the foreign touches. 

"She will, someday." Abigail shifted a little further away from him in an attempt for him to stop, but ended up having to stand up fully out of his reach when his all-out assault wouldn't come to an end. Sean watched angrily, mentally cursing the kid out for bugging his little girl. 

"Soon?" He stood on his tiptoes trying to get to her again, and it took Sean all he had to not snap at the kid. He loved Jack, he really did, but Sean was already on edge watching his baby get passed around like a hot potato. So this was slowly putting him over the edge. Abigail was quick to notice and passed the baby on to John, who happened to be the closest person to her left. 

This did not put Sean at ease.

Aside from not expecting her being thrust into his arms, John was incredibly reluctant to hold onto her. He barely held onto Jack as a baby and had very little experience. And while the potential of dropping or messing up his own kid was one thing, messing up somebody else's kid was bad news. So he shifted awkwardly trying to steady her as she started to cry, which only made him freak out more. 

"Can-can somebody please take her?" Charles quickly swooped in and rolled his eyes at how hopeless Marston was with a baby, especially since he was the only other man here who had a kid. Compared to the absolute mountain of a man that Charles was, Rose seemed even tinier. Her head rested in the crook of his arm and he gently rubbed her head with his free hand, lightly shushing her. Seemingly instantly she calmed, but nobody was surprised- Charles had that effect on people. 

"Remind me to pass her of to you when we're havin' those sleepless nights, eh Charles?" 

"I'll try to help as much as I can, but if you wake me up to take care of your child I'm going to throw you off the cliff side, Sean." His harsh threats were starkly juxtaposed by the sight of him cradling and cooing at the small baby in his arms. Sean chuckled uncomfortably, not believing for a moment that those were hollow threats. 

On and on the baby went to almost everybody in camp. Pearson looked into her eyes and tried to predict what her favourite foods were gonna be when she got older. Susan fussed with her blankets, swaddling her tighter and making sure she was secure. The moment she landed in Lenny's arms it was like a light went off in his head- he  _definitely_ wanted kids some day. A lot of them. Tilly happily bounced her while Bill watched curiously, really not wanting to hold her himself. Javier was next and he stared at her deeply, repeating her name quietly over and over. Eventually Sean's curiosity was piqued and he had to ask. 

"You realize she's not goin' to answer you back, right Javier? She's fresh out the womb." Javier looked at Sean like he was the stupidest man he'd ever met. 

"I know she's not going to answer me, idiota. I'm just seeing how her name suits her. I think it suits her quite well."

"Well, thanks-"

"And it'll make for an absolutely breathtaking knife inscription.  _Rose._ So simple, yet so beautiful. Short and to the point. I'll have the blade be the same. And I'm imaging a handle of vines... maybe a touch of pink. Something feminine, for the lady." He smiled at her sweetly, as if he wasn't going into excruciating detail about the knife he was going to gift to her. Sean felt himself starting to sweat with worry at the mere idea of it. 

"Javier, I thought we said no knives for the baby!" 

"But-"

"No!" Sean said firmly, trying to assert his dominance. Javier scowled at Sean, clearly displeased.

" _Lo pondré en tu manta cuando no estén mirando._ " He muttered into Rose's ear, grinning wickedly to himself.

"What- what'd you just say to her?" Arthur questioned, cocking a brow suspiciously.

Javier tried to put on his most trustworthy smile- the one he used when trying to sweet talk a lawman or a lady. "Nothing! Just telling her how much she is loved here, that's all." He quickly passed her on to the next person before anybody could question him further. And on she went, continuing to make her rounds to everybody in the gang. Eventually she made it back to Sean, much to his relief- but there was still  _one_ person who hadn't yet held her.

Well, technically two, but nobody was complaining about Micah not getting his turn.

No, the one who Sean was really thinking about was Arthur. Arthur had stood there with a smile, watching everybody else, but always managed to move out of the way whenever it seemed like he was next in line. As the hour group later the group started to disband, sending their well wishes to Karen who was still sleeping back inside the tent. Arthur too tried to leave before Sean stepped in his way.

"And where the hell d'you think you're going, Arthur Morgan?"

"Uh, to bed? Think I earned it- worked my ass off today. Maybe not as hard as Karen, but pretty damn hard." 

"Well I don't doubt that, you always work hard! Maybe that's why you're always such a sour puss. All work and no play makes for a grumpy, grumpy man." Arthur scowled at him, and Sean knew that he had to get this back on track before Arthur somehow found a way to slug him without hurting the baby. "I meant, you haven't held Rose yet. Don't think I didn't notice!"

Arthur shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting to the ground. "Well, uh- I didn't want to get her dirty or nothin'. Don't wanna make her sick, or-"

"Oh stop with yer damn excuses. Please, Arthur. You're her godfather, and definitely cleaner than half the men in this camp. I know you're scared, but if John didn't drop 'er then I don't think you will." Arthur opened his mouth to argue but knew it'd fall on deaf ears. The truth was, Arthur hadn't really held a baby since Isaac- when Jack was that young he avoided holding him on purpose, and Abigail never pushed him. He didn't know how he'd feel holding a baby again- that familiar warmth and weight of a little one that he never got to cherish when he had the chance. But because he cared about Sean and his new goddaugher, he took the plunge and extended out his arms. Sean's eyes lit up as he gently handed her over to him. 

Holding her was bittersweet for Arthur. On one hand, she reminded him of his past- his mistakes. His regrets. But on the other... she represented the future. Not just for Sean and Karen as parents, but for everybody. It was hard to explain, but her arrival had a different effect on the group than Jack's. When Jack was born there was tension, arguments, suspicion. A young mother, a father in denial and an entire gang under scrutiny by said father. The way that John could barely look at Jack, let alone be a proper father... it took a toll on everybody. Their hearts ached for the poor boy. 

But seeing two happy parents, as much in love with each other as they were with their new arrival, it was a beautiful thing. Seeing Sean absolutely beaming with pride as he held his girl, as everybody ooh'd and awed over her, was... healing. Everybody was excited to be excited. And maybe, Arthur thought, that was just what the group needed. To all have something real to work for- both the kids' future and their own. 

"Ain't you just the sweetest, lil Rosie Posie?" He murmured to her, gently rubbing his thumb over her chubby cheeks. She opened her eyes and stared at him intently; as though she had purpose. He hovered his thumb by her face and she made a feeble attempt to grasp at it, causing him to let out a small gasp. "Well, look at you girlie! Already reachin' and grabbin' things. Soon you'll be ready to scrap at a moments notice like yer old man, huh?"  

Sean looked tickled pink at the way Arthur interacted with her- especially so at the little nickname he already had given her. Eventually Arthur really did have to go to bed, so he returned the baby and made his way across camp. Sean did the same, re-entering his tent and seeing Karen slightly stirring. He sat next to her and told her all about Rose's first meeting with her new family, and how much they all seemed to love her already. Karen grinned and gave a kiss to both her man and her girl before dozing off again. Sean was soon to follow, flat on his back with one arm around Karen and one on his chest, holding Rose in place as she too slept under his chin. And together they snored; a family in harmony. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the Spanish is like... really off but I'm not gonna ask my one friend who speaks Spanish to check my sentences to see if they make sense for a fanfic about cowboys. I just couldn't. If it's absolutely incoherent I apologize and am open to corrections/advice!


	9. What a beautiful wedding

 

It was the middle of the night, about a week since Rose's arrival. All of the gang members were asleep in their tents- well, attempting to anyways. In typical newborn fashion she was crying and wailing up a storm. Karen and Sean paced around their tent, taking turns trying to calm her. Around camp others were starting to stir, her howling starting to get to them.

"Doesn't that damn baby ever shut up?" John shouted from his tent, an absolute grump when he's tired.

"No, John- they don't. Maybe if you had been  _around_ when your son was a baby you'd know that!" Sean spat back at him as he paced around the tent, and he could hear a rustling in the Marston tent as well as the flaps quickly opening and closing, before some harsh whispers that he couldn't quite make out apart from "If you leave this tent I'll have your head". 

"You didn't have to go in that hard on him." Karen whispered to him, the proud smile on her face betraying the sentiment of her words. 

"You know I did. I can't stand that deadbeat tryin' to talk to us about parenin'. As if he could even tell his own kid's head from his ass." He huffed and hoisted Rose up onto his shoulder, giving the girl a kiss on the head. "She don't deserve that kind of attitude."

"Sean, she can't understand a word we're saying."

"It doesn't matter! I will not have that man disrespectin' her. Give her a couple months and she'll be able to handle herself against him, I reckon."

"A couple months?" Karen giggled. "Try a couple weeks. John ain't all that."

"I like the way you think, my love." Sean stopped to take a seat next to Karen on the bed as Rose started to quiet. He cuddled up into her right side, resting his head on top of hers. She yawned as she snuggled into the crook of his neck, planting small kisses onto his shoulder. 

"I'm so tired, Sean." 

"Me too." 

"But I'm happy. Real happy."

"Me too." There was a moment of peaceful silence between them (and with how quite Rose was being, between everybody else in camp as well). Sean looked down to the blonde on his arm, and the little ginger bundle in his arms. He had always thought he wanted the world- to be wild and free, travel, experience every danger and hazard life had to offer; live with the wind at his back and to one day go out with a bang. But looking down at his girls, he realized that he already had the world. 

"Karen, you awake?"

"Mmh?" 

"I've been thinkin..."

"Well, don't hurt yourself now." 

He elbowed her lightly in the ribs and chuckled. "I've been thinkin' about the future a lot."

"Oh? Doesn't sound much like you."

"Never used to much. Didn't have much to think about."

"And now?" She turned her head to look at him and the warmth in her eyes made his heart melt. 

"I've got everythin' to think about now, between the two of yous." His eyes flickered between her and his daughter, who was finally still on his chest. Karen raised a hand to gently stroke the back of her head, the other wrapping around Sean's back to pull him close. 

"I want to get married, Karen." Her eyes widened in shock.

"You what?"

"I really do, honest and true. Look!" He fished into his pocket and produced a ring- a gold band with a modest diamond atop it. 

"Karen Jones, will you marry me?" She raised her left hand off of the baby's back, and he slipped the ring onto her finger. She held her hand out and marveled at it in disbelief. 

"Are you serious?"

"More serious than I've ever been in my life. We have our own little family now, Kar. And I want to make it official in the eyes of God and the law." The was an awkward pause as he looked at her expectantly. "So... is that a yes then?" He laughed nervously, and Karen rolled her eyes at him before pulling him into a kiss.

"Of course it's a yes you dork!" They both smiled at each other and kissed again, resting their foreheads against each other's. They basked in the moment for as long as they could before they heard the distinct gurgles and grunts of a baby beginning to wake. Karen reached and took her into her arms, fighting off Sean's who reached out to take the girl back on instinct. 

"I've got her this time. You get some rest. I'll join you when she's down." That was all the permission Sean needed before he laid back, falling asleep almost as soon as he hit the pillow.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

The wedding came a few weeks later. Karen rode out with the girls into town and picked out a beautiful dress- off-white with a full skirt, a fitted bodice and low neckline. Molly-despite her obvious jealousy-dolled her all up for the big day, making her look like an absolute dream. Tilly and Mary Beth were giddy with excitement. Sadie looked fondly at the blushing bride, remembering her own wedding day. And Abigail stared longingly, hoping one day that she'd be the one getting to walk down the isle. 

On the men's side a party was brewing. In typical Irish fashion the whole gaggle of men got appropriately shitfaced the night before, celebrating Sean's last night of bachelor-hood. They sat around the fire, taking turns recalling every embarrassing story they had on the man. By the end of the night he felt sufficiently roasted, but also incredibly loved. The next day Lenny, Arthur, Javier and Dutch rode in with him to the Saint Denis tailor (on Trelawny's recommendation) to grab the suits. The men tried them on, looking sharp, and brought some nice clothes back for the others. 

All decked out in their finest duds, the gang gathered at the edge of Horseshoe Overlook. Charles had constructed an arch for them, and under it stood Reverend Swanson (who was officiating) and Sean, holding young Rose and eagerly awaiting his bride. On his side stood Lenny, his best man, and on Karen's was Mary Beth and Tilly, her maids of honour. Karen came in on horseback and was walked down the isle by Dutch as Javier played guitar. 

The two lovebirds met at the end of the aisle and joined hands, supporting the weight of their daughter between them. They exchanged vows.

_"Sean Macguire, when I first got involved with you I didn't expect much. A fun fling, some laughs. But you have surprised me again and again. You still give me those laughs, that's for sure. But you've also given me so much more. I'm so proud and excited to be your wife. I love you."_

_"Karen, when we first got together I was nothin' more than a boy. But you, you've made me a man. Before I had you I could have never fathomed being a father or a husband- let alone both! I lived just to live; for myself. But now, I live for the two of you- my girls. And for the future we're gonna create for ourselves. I wake up every day excited just to spend it with you. You make me a better man, and I can't wait to see what the years hold for us. I love you."_

They exchanged rings and the Reverend pronounced them man and wife. They sealed it with a kiss, planting one on each other before both dipping down to plant on on their baby. The whole gang cheered, hugged, and cried. A wonderful day of celebration followed for them all- drinking and laughing, reminiscing on times past and buzzing excitement on what's to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter one and sickeningly sweet, I know. But I'm feelin' that wholesome, Christmas eve mood OKAY. A Wonderful Life is on and it just does that to you

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like some good familial cowboy bonding because that's what this is gonna be!! Yeehaw!!


End file.
